There are tons of online shopping sites where you can buy everything
from plane tickets and flat-screen TVs to food, clothes, furniture,
office supplies, movies, and lots more. While shopping online is
convenient and fun, there are disadvantages of online shopping. Know the
cons of online shopping to realize the benefits of shopping at a
traditional store.
The Pros of Shopping Online
There are distinct advantages of online shopping:
Time Convenience
In
comparison to a brick-and-mortar store with fixed hours, online
shopping venues are available any time, day or night. This is especially
useful for parents with small children, anyone who works throughout the
day, and during times of inclement weather.
Shopping Apps
Shopping
from an app is a convenient luxury. Whether you're homebound or able to
visit a store, shopping from your phone is a uniquely awesome
experience.
Price Comparisons
When
you visit a store, you most likely settle for whatever price the vendor
has placed on a particular item. With online shopping, you can compare
prices from hundreds of different vendors. Grocery store price
comparison apps are one example.
Discounts and Notifications
Online
stores want to keep you as a customer, so they may offer deep
discounts, rewards, and cash back if you sign up for their newsletters.
This can keep you updated on all the best upcoming sales. Coupon
codes—like the ones you can get from coupon code sites—are also
extremely popular when shopping online.
Infinite Choice
Shelf
space in a physical store is limited, which means the variety of goods
is limited. This isn't true with online stores where choices are
abundant. If you don't see what you want at one store online, move on to
the next one. As the consumer, you have the power to do that.
No Size Limitation
Another
benefit to online shopping is when the product you want to buy is too
big to haul in your vehicle. Buying a boat from an auction site or
ordering a tiny home online are just two examples of situations where
your car just won't do the job.
Zero Parking Struggles
Finding
a parking spot can be a big reason you don't stop at a store.
Especially around the holidays, there's a major benefit of no congestion
when shopping online.
Easy Access to Consumer Reviews
It's
easy to access consumer reviews for pretty much any product you can
think of online, which makes for informed purchases. If you're not sure
you're up to buying something, conduct a little research by checking out
customer reviews.
No Pressure Sales
If you don't want to experience awkward approaches by eager salespeople, you don't have to put up with that online.
More Payment Methods
Another
benefit of online shopping is that you can pay for things differently
than you can at a physical store. There are lots of retailers that
support Bitcoin, for example.
The Cons of Shopping Online
Here are a few disadvantages of internet shopping that might deter you from making your next purchase online:
You Can't Try Things On
When
you buy clothes online, you can't feel the material, see how it fits
around your waist, or notice how it's made. Unless you know your
measurements and are familiar with the brand of clothing offered, this
could be a bad experience. Most online stores make it easy to return
items for this reason. Clothing websites usually post detailed
measurement and fabric information to minimize returns.
You Can't Always Talk to Someone Immediately
If
you have a question about what you're about to order, or what you just
ordered but want to return, you may have to wait a full day or longer to
get your question answered. This situation is improving, however, as
many sites have added an instant chat service to address concerns and
answer questions on the spot.
Must Wait for Delivery
Need
something no later than this afternoon? Not many online shopping sites
have same-day delivery, and none of them offer the on-the-spot,
take-home advantage that a physical store does. Some online shopping
sites take weeks to deliver your order (though, they're in the
minority).
Shipping Costs
Depending
on what you buy, you could spend the same amount on just shipping
costs, or sometimes even more. In-store shopping has no need to charge
extra for shipping.
Privacy and Security
Privacy
and security are legitimate concerns for any online shopper. Your
payment information could get stolen from the site or someone who works
there could copy your bank details and use them later on their own
purchases. It's also hard to immediately recognize whether an online
store is real or just there to scam you.
There are precautions
you can take when shopping online to make the experience more secure.
Paying attention to whether or not the site uses HTTPS is one example